Guardian Angel
by Lina.Wren
Summary: Angel Potter is more than what she seems – the 'angel' part? That's literal. Angel never was the twin sister of Harry Potter. She was a spirit, roaming the world, indebted to Lily Evans. Lily only asked one thing in return of this debt: the angel protect her child. When Lily died, the time to finally pay that debt was up. World, you'd better get ready. Harry isn't alone this time!
1. Chapter 1

"Angel!" Petunia Dursley screeched, "Where are you, girl? Get down here! Breakfast! Now!"

Harry looked to his sister, who shook her head 'no' in response to his silent question. She continued packing their bags. Non-perishable food items, stolen from downstairs last night. Bottled drinking water. Clothes, for both Harry and herself. Blankets. Pillows. One of Harry's toys – for now, just the one would have to do. Already, the bags were quite the heavy weight.

"She's going to come up," Harry said.

Angel nodded, still silent.

Today was the day they left for good.

It had taken her five years. Harry was six years old now. So much of his life wasted, so much unhappiness on him.

But Angel didn't understand the human world quite yet. In many ways, she was the child she appeared to be. It had taken her five years to learn movement. To learn language. Love, too, she had learned.

She loved Harry, and understood how she had felt for Lily. Poor Lily.

That was another thing Angel had learned in those five years in this human house. Pity. Poor Lily had to die.

Angel would make it up to her. Harry, from this moment onward, would have a happy, joyous life.

The door burst open, Aunt Petunia sweeping into the room. Harry cringed, but Angel finished buckling the straps to Harry's bag. A little heavy, maybe, but not too much for him. He needed to help her to help himself. Angel never had any intention of doing everything for him. There's no person who would be happy in that kind of life. Safety was priority one, happiness priority two. To achieve both? Stellar.

"What are you doing?" The woman shrieked.

It was her usual tone of voice.

"We are leaving, Aunt Petunia, as I promised you we would when you yelled at me on November 21st, almost a year ago." Angel said.

"Don't worry about us," Harry said, clutching the teddy bear – pity they would not bring it.

"We'll be fine," Harry continued, "Angel will take care of me."

"Don't worry?" Petunia responded, sounding incredulous, "You think you can just leave?"

"Police will question you on our disappearance. I suggest you report it in this evening. It is acceptable to say you imagined we would return. Commonly, as I understand it, children threaten to run from home, only to return later. We, of course," Angel fixed Petunia will a glare, a glare holding all the sentinel's pent up anger, "Will not be returning.'

"Oh, really?" Petunia asked, taking on a sarcastic tone, leaning back, folding her arms over her chest, "And where will you go? What will you eat?"

"We have food in our bags to last a little over a week, if we ration properly. I will not tell you where we going – I would not like you to find us, nor question how I know the place."

Angel slipped the straps of Harry's pack over his shoulders, then donned her own pack, while Petunia stood flabbergasted.

"You'll ruin Dudley's birthday!" She screeched.

"I trust Dudley capable of doing that in his own way," Angel said, "As his birthday is not for almost a week, you should have time to adjust to our absence."

Harry nodded. He seemed a little sheepish. He always was that way when Angel was, well, herself, around other people.

"Aunt Petunia," Angel said, standing directly in front of the woman, staring up at her, "I cannot say I've enjoyed my time here with you. You have made my first years on this earth unpleasant. It is a time I shall never get back. I think you are cruel, heartless. You have no sense in your soul of justice, fairness, or promise. I shall not miss you. Never-the-less, I find it proper to thank you as I say goodbye for good. Thank you for the food you provided. Thank you for the room, the bed. Farewell, my aunt. If things are as I plan them, we shall never meet again."

With that all said, Angel pushed past her aunt and quickly walked towards the stairs, Harry following close behind.

"G-goodbye, Aunt Petunia," He said as he passed her.

The scrawny, horrible woman stood silent and still in shock, a reaction that gave Angel a measure of satisfaction. It didn't last, of course. As they exited through the front door, walking past an unobservant Vernon and Dudley, Petunia screamed at them one last time.

"I hope you starve!"

–

They walked for a good long time to a main city street, then sat to wait at a bus stop. After ensuring that Harry was adequately hydrated, Angel let out a sigh to release her tension. Being human could be difficult sometimes. She liked elements of it. Walking was not one of those elements.

"Where are we going, Angel?" Harry asked, swinging his feet back and forth from the bench.

Angel smiled at him, showing affection and that he need not be nervous.

"We are going to our mother's last home. I remember it from when I was born. You do not, I believe. Your young memories are lost, as are most people's."

Angel leaned back, reminiscing.

"It is a very pleasant place," She said, "A home, called often a cottage, in the town of Godric's Hollow. It is the place James and Lily were murdered."

Harry made a strange sound, but Angel found it unimportant and ignored it.

"The home is not a true cottage, I would say. It is two stories with three bedrooms – similar in size to the Dursley residence, but much nicer. It is older, and finer too. Buildings are not painting in beige there, in Godric's Hollow, for the purposes of blending in. No, things there are made exactly as the builder should wish to make them. I have a fondness for magical society. Even should you turn out non-magical, Harry, I would you raised there. Naturally, still studying in maths, language, etc. You will like it, Harry, I am certain, so worry not."

Harry smiled at her. He loved his sister very, very much.

"I won't worry," He said.

Eventually, the bus arrived. They rode it to the bus terminal down town, where Angel found another bus to take them across quite a bit of the country, to a town very near Godric's Hollow. It was sure to be a very long ride, so once they were finally aboard, Angel arranged their blankets and pillows to sleep.

Harry pulled out that teddy bear. Angel said nothing, but smiled. Mischievous little one.

He tucked the toy under one arm and laid his other hand on Angel's upper arm. She was his security. She understood that. And Harry, perhaps he was hers. She would always defend the boy – simultaneously Lily's little child and Angel's little brother.

Miles away, a particular device began beeping on a particular old wizard's desk. After thinking over the possibilities of a sleepover, or similar, the device was noted, and ignored. Should it continue, then Albus Dumbledore would need to take action.

AN: This story is being written for a challenge by The Phoenix Wraith. The challenge details and rules are below.

Name (of challenge): Harry's Guardian

Name of challenger (as in your name): The Phoenix Wraith (Or just Phoenix for short.)

Due date (if applicable): N/A

Pairings/characters: Author's discretion; preferably unique.

Summary: Before her end at Voldemort's curse, Lily Potter signed a Magical Contract with a Sentinel, ancient spirits of the aether that are also known as Guardian Angels. How will Harry's life change with a Magical Spirit looking out for him?

Other details: There are three ways I believe this to be done;

Number One: The Sentinel takes the role of Harry's guardian, whether instead or after Dursleys is to the Authors Discretion. As Harry grows, the Sentinel teaches him various topics, ranging from studies, to fighting styles, to magic. Being bound to Harry, the Sentinel also follows him to Hogwarts over the years and serves to protect him.

Number Two: The Sentinel takes the role of a twin sibling, always caring for Harry no matter what. The Sentinel, as a being of Magic, is registered on the Hogwarts charter and will aid Harry through the years.

Number Three: The Sentinel takes the role of Harry's familiar, aiding him from the background. You don't have to replace Hedwig (Hell, you could even _make_ Hedwig the familiar).

The difference in these scenarios, is that the Guardian and Familiar Sentinel can either reveal their nature to Harry or keep it from him, whereas the Sibling Sentinel does whatever they can to keep it hidden as long as possible.

In terms of pairings and/or bashings, Author's Discretion - though I do request for some variety for pairing, even OC's if you want; just make sure to not Mary/Gary Sue 'em.

The Sentinel can be either gender, and any animal/creature if going the Familiar scenario, and if going the Guardian scenario any pairings are, again, to the Author's Discretion.

Random Options for extra Challenges: Quote a line from any song by Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Three Days Grace or Linkin Park while keeping it within the current scene.


	2. Chapter 2

The house certainly wasn't in the best state of repair. No one had entered it for many years. Not to mention, the last time someone had, it had been because the home was attacked.

There weren't exactly holes in the wall, but the front door was partially off its hinges and not one window didn't have holes from weather or kids throwing stones.

No lock remaining – Angel pushed the door open and held it for Harry. He waddled in, exhausted from that journey, but still with awe in his eyes. His mother and father's home.

His sister, as he saw her, had somehow remembered them. The house, too. She told him about them. Sometimes, it almost made him jealous. He sure didn't remember. Mostly, he was thankful. He wished he would have really known them.

Inside, the home was full of dust, debris, dead leaves.

Angel was tired too. Her mind may be something between adult and child, her being sentinel, but her body was still that of a child completely.

"Let's lay out the blankets for bedding, Harry." Angel said, "Tomorrow morning, we can scavenge around. I would estimate... maybe three weeks to truly get things in order. Do inventory, clean up, seal openings to the outside, and ascertain a permanent source of food – perhaps even some money as well.

"Then, with those things done, we can return to our studies. Progress through life in a semi-normal manner. You won't have an official GED, but I will ensure you are properly educated. Furthermore, will I find playmates, to promote social skills."

Angel looked over to find Harry already laying down. He was staring at her, struggling to pay attention, but his eyes were blank and cloudy. Poor Harry – she really had exhausted him today, hadn't she? It had been some walk from the nearest bus stop to this town. Still, Angel felt no guilt for her decisions. This was a necessary change for Harry's well-being.

In a few years, when things truly felt safe from the Dursley's again, perhaps Angel could get the two of them adopted again. For now, certainly not. She lay down and smiled, nodding at Harry.

"Sorry, brother." She said, "Don't worry. You can sleep now. In the morning, I will arrange us proper beds. For now, you are tired enough to sleep comfortably on the floor?"

Harry nodded, smiled back.

"Goodnight, Angel," He said.

"Goodnight, Harry," Angel returned and kissed his forehead before letting herself fall asleep.

She woke to Harry's greeting, "Good morning!"

He was crouched in front of her, holding a bowl and spoon. There was some kind of food instead – ah, it was beans.

"Here, Angel," He said, "There isn't a working stove or microwave or anything, so it's cold, but I found some dishes. I cleaned them, don't worry... the water doesn't work either, but in the backyard, there's a sort of stream."

"I remember the stream," Angel said, "It is another reason this is such a perfect habitation for us."

"Thank you, Harry," Angel continued, sitting up, "It's good of you to fix our breakfast."

Harry smiled and blushed, clearly happy with the praise, and sat back to wait for her to eat.

There was nothing special to the meal. It was only cold canned beans. Protein and calories – good for their health. Harry told her he had also eaten.

After rinsing the bowl and returning it to where Harry had found it in the kitchen, Angel took a walk-about to survey the house. Harry, as always, followed at her heels.

Little had been altered, except by the hands of time. Someone must have made the decision to leave things as they were. It had clearly been ransacked once or twice since the death of Lily and her husband – someone searching for cash or valuables or perhaps only children or teenagers exploring and having fun.

If Angel could get the gas back on, they would have heat and cooking. On the other hand, gathered firewood for the fireplace would accomplish those two requirements easily enough. She would need to be sure to teach Harry proper fire safety before allowing him to cook on the fire as she allowed him to cook in the kitchen.

The couch was in a bad state from weather and disrepair. With Harry's help, Angel tugged it outside. Similarly, Angel disposed of the bedding left on the beds. At some point, a mouse family had moved into one of the mattresses. They'd since vacated, so Angel felt the mattresses themselves were salvageable. She replaced the bedding with some found fortuitously in the linen closet. Their own blankets and pillows would offer further comfort, along with a sense of familiarity that might help put Harry at ease in the new home.

Old food in the kitchen cabinets. Angel turned up her nose at it. Most of it had also been raided by mice. That was years ago, however. Now, the house was dead of life. She disposed of the old food and set their own meagre supplies in its place in the cabinets and pantry.

There was no refrigerator here, but there was an old-fashioned ice-box. Easily charmed, Angel imagined, for winter inside.

The pile on the couch outside grew. More unusable junk Angel had found. At some point, she'd have to haul this all off, or at least bury.

She set Harry to work with a broom they had found and went herself to explore town.

Her 'little brother' seemed happy enough so far. That made Angel smile as she walked. She could be, at times, awkward, but held a deep affection for the boy. Motherly, maybe, but certainly sisterly. She felt, at times, she was simultaneously coddling him and not doing nearly enough for him. She wondered if Lily, in that other place, would be proud of her.

Lovely little town. Dying out, somewhat. More of a village now. There was at least grocer's. It was, as well, a fully magical place. She was early enough in the morning to be alone on the roads, but were it later, could easily imagine wizards and witches wandering about on their errands. There was a potioneers rather than a pharmacy. An owlery rather than a post office. For now, she would have no need of the muggle equivalent, but it was of note for the future. Should she wish for muggle products, she'd have to make a day journey to a nearby muggle village. Quite a pain.

As for a replenishing food source... she entered the grocer's and had a look-about.

Seeds, yes please. A little nylon rope. Tools, they had already at the cottage. Some fresh vegetables, that would be good for Harry. Her as well, she needed to remember herself. Her 'childhood' had been a struggle of remembering her human needs.

She brought her products to the counter.

Oh, an unforeseen problem.

"Sir, do you take muggle money? My family has only recently moved here, we haven't been to exchange as of yet." Angel applied a 'cute' face. These could be useful.

The man attending the store and sporting a bushy moustache.

"Well, little miss, normally I'd have to say no, but I can make an exception today. Just moved here, aye?" He smiled at her and began to add the things on a piece of paper – likely also converting to British pounds.

"Yes, sir, thank you, sir." Angel said, "We are used to living the muggle life, sir. The house here in Godric's Hollow is one inherited from our family."

"I see. Well, now you have a very good day, miss." He said, then told her the amount.

They exchanged and Angel began making her way home.

Cash registers were far more efficient.

She returned swiftly with her purchases.

"Hello, Harry," She called, "I have returned! We shall be as outdoors-men, Harry. I have purchased nylon with which to make snares. Seeds also – I would like you to make us a garden. Furthermore, I will educate you on what wild plants are edible. You may attend to gathering and gardening, I will work the snares. I have read about these matters in a book before we left home."

"Great!" Harry called to her from upstairs, "I've neatened things up a lot. Still dusty, but I think that'll just take some living in."

"Very good," Angel said, coming upstairs.

Harry had indeed done well. He'd cleaned and unpacked their bags too. The room he'd chosen for himself seemed to be the old nursery. Angel considered that appropriate. She chose to take the third bedroom, which had been used as James and Lily's shared office, as her own.

Comfortable and neat.

"Harry, please take a break," Angel said, "You may play with your toy, if you should like. When you are rested, please go explore the open areas nearby and acquire a small amount of firewood. I will begin patched the broken windows with boards and nails."

"Okay, Angel," Harry said. Unlike other mortals, Harry seemed quite all right with her... loquaciousness. Her wordiness. Many others considered her odd – more often, annoying. Harry, however – likely because he had grown with her.

She was able to find some unused boards to nail over the windows. What she couldn't scrounge up, she used the cabinet doors from the kitchen for.

Cabinet doors were unnecessary for the time being and served better function keeping out the cold and weather.

"Is this enough?" Harry asked her, coming in from the back door. His small arms were full of good, dry wood.

"Thank you, Harry!" Angel exclaimed, "Very good, that!"

"You're welcome," Harry said, bringing the wood over the fireplace.

"For lunch, we shall have the vegetables I purchased this morning, but for dinner, we can use that firewood you've acquired to heat the canned meat." Angel was pretty pleased with how things were going. They were already getting comfortable in their little home.

"Will it really take three weeks to get ready?" Harry asked.

Angel laughed a little – that light, strange sound.

"Perhaps not," She said.


	3. Chapter 3

Dumbledore pushed a lemon candy through his pursed lips, overlooking the scene before him. The candy was sweet, but tasted bitter.

Police sirens blared, red and blue lights flashing bright through the dark of the night. Hours ago, policemen had been rushing about. There had been panicked phone calls. A rush of confusion and adrenaline.

Now there were only a few, bending down, inspecting the corpse, or standing around the cars, wearing melancholy expressions.

It was a little boy, his bloated, naked body found floating in the farm canal. It was almost an entire country off from where Dumbledore expected the children to be – but he still needed to see the corpse. To make sure.

Under a notice-me-not charm, the old man swept in amongst the muggles, The boy had been dragged out by the people who'd found him. Turned face up.

Thank Merlin, Dumbledore breathed. It wasn't Harry. He would never be able to forgive himself if it was Harry. Even if the features were not so foreign, there was no sign of a scar.

His duty done, he walked far enough off to avoid attracting the attention of the officers and apparated back to the gates of Hogwarts. He soul still felt weighted as he walked inside, back to his quarters.

So many dead little children. It wasn't what he considered his duty to help them. They were muggles. They were from another world. Someday, he hoped, the wizarding world and the muggle world would intersect. It was among his many dreams that the wizards might be able to help all of mankind. For now, for this part of his lifetime, he would focus on the wizarding world. On Voldemort, on all of his followers, then on the prejudice itself.

Such larger dreams as those ones would take longer.

He had a lot of mistakes in his life. Inspecting the Dursley home at the start of his search for the missing children, he'd found that the place was truly somewhere he could understand running away from. That was his fault. He had imagined – so foolishly thought – no family could be so cruel to themselves. Especially not the sister of Lily.

Was it worth it? They were safe, in only the most literal way. Their childhood so far, they had not been found. Even if they were, in that place, they would be safe.

He didn't want the Boy-Who-Lived growing up in knowledge of that name. Harry, his sister too, they needed to be heroes. Not spoiled, worthless celebrities.

It was his fault. It was his fault for thinking that way.

But Dumbledore shook the guilt and self-loathing from his mind. He had two children to find.

He dressed in muggle clothing and exited the castle once again. Today, he was meeting with the muggle detectives in charge of Harry and Angel's case. It had been thanks to Dumbledore's intervention that they had an entire detective assigned to them at all. This one in particular was aware of the magical world. Not too knowledgable about it, certainly not, but aware. Dumbledore had made him aware of the importance of these two children too.

"They were last seen on CCTV at the Little Whinging bus terminal. We believe they purchased tickets to Laketon. Officers have already been assigned to ask around that town. No leads so far. In all honesty, Mr. Dumbledore, those kids could be almost anywhere in Britain by this point."

"It is imperative that they are found," Dumbledore said.

The detective through out his hands, "Believe me, I understand that. We're doing everything we can. I would ask you to remember that. They may be your 'chosen ones', but to us, they're a pair of lost runaway kids. That's just as important in my book."

Dumbledore apologised and made his way out.

In his office, he stared over the many unresponsive instruments splayed across his desk.

Where would they go?

As far as Petunia knew, the kids shouldn't know anything about the magical world. They wouldn't head to Diagon, any place like that. If they were somewhere muggle, then the muggles ought to have found them already. The resources Dumbledore had seen to be pumped into the muggle search...

He refused the idea that they might be like the corpses of that little boy, only un-found.

His teachers and other close confidants were on the case, searching. They had to be found soon enough. Harry's unique scar alone would be eye-catching in the wizarding world. And Harry should look just like James. Angel just like Lily. So Petunia had said.

Damn that abominable woman! This was her fault, even more than it was his own. How could she just let them walk out? How could she... hurt them in such a way to make them want to?

He'd see to it that she was punished. Her and that horrible husband of hers. Impossible to believe that woman was the sister of Lily Evans. Dumbledore almost refused to believe it.

They had no where to go? How can two children just fall off the surface of the world? No magic to speak of. Remarkably little funds. No connections.

If it were Albus, where would he go?

The old wizard spent all that day thinking over that question.

In Godric's Hollow, Angel finished repairing the broken door frame while Harry played with his toy and teddy bear.


End file.
